Linkpost | 6.29.12

Cities getting closer to recycling ideal: Not Houston, of course. Portland will experience its first summer of biweekly garbage pickup. The change to every other week, introduced in cool weather last fall along with a weekly collection for food scraps, has reduced the amount of garbage that this progressive city is shipping to landfills by 44 percent. (New York Times)

Were dogs domesticated along the Danube?: On the basis of this pattern we suggest that dog domestication may have taken place in the Danube Gorges during the Early Mesolithic (c. 9500–7500 cal. BC) (International Journal of Osteoarchaeology)

How to weigh a planet: “This method represents a strong advance in the field of exoplanets,” said Lopez-Morales. “It opens a new path to determine masses of exoplanets and the composition of their atmospheres.” (Eurekalert)

Ancient hunter-gatherers kept in touch: Little is known about early Europeans. But a new genetic analysis of two 8000-year-old skeletons from Spain suggests that they might have been a remarkably cohesive population both genetically and culturally. (ScienceNow)

Power your laptop with your butt: he metal seat of this desk’s chair gets hot by cozying up to a worker’s butt, while the bottom remains chill thanks to a pattern of metal fins. The result: a few extra minutes of laptop life. (The Atlantic)